Hall of Fame
Appearing on the mound early and often for the Sharks, Mikolas recorded the second-most starts in Sunshine State Conference history (32) as part of his 200.2 career innings in three seasons at NSU. Under former head coach and current Director of Athletics Michael Mominey, Mikolas delivered a 15-8 record in 38 appearances, capped off by a 7-2 junior year that included five complete games, a 2.06 ERA and a stellar 10:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio – leading to Daktronics and Rawlings/ABCA All-South Region accolades and a seventh-round (204th overall) selection by the San Diego Padres in the 2009 MLB Draft. In 2019, Mikolas remains NSU's highest draft pick in program history.
Mikolas became the third Sharks player to reach baseball's pinnacle when he made his MLB debut on May 5, 2012 against the Florida Marlins. Following stints with both the Padres and the Texas Rangers, he spent 2015-17 with the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese Central League. Yet after dominating overseas, Mikolas was welcomed back to the MLB when he signed in December of 2017 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He ultimately hit his first career home run in his first game back stateside, and went on to be named a member of the 2018 National League All-Star Team prior to closing the year ranked among the Top-10 in the MLB in Innings Pitched (200.2 IP), Wins (18), WHIP (1.07), ERA (2.83) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.04). The following spring, Mikolas was deservedly chosen as the Cardinals' 2019 Opening Day starter and has become a considerable part of one of baseball's most historic franchises.
Mikolas earned his undergraduate degree from NSU in Sport and Recreation Management in 2013 after utilizing his off-seasons to complete his degree.
